Going bananas: The highs & lows of chasing a dream

There are so many things I want to accomplish with the flurry of ideas just floating around in my head, but the biggest challenge is taking those ideas and materializing them–choosing one and running with it from A to Z. It’s fun to daydream and concoct a vision in our head, but to turn it into reality, that’s a whole other story!

Self-motivation is probably one of the most crucial ingredients needed, but it can also be a huge road block. It’s so easy to fall into bad habits such as procrastination (which I’m guilty of) and laziness, usually triggered by fear of inadequacy and failure.

Venturing off on your own is not a walk in the park and when it boils down to it, you have to worry about so many aspects, from the dreaded financing, suppliers, legal matters, marketing, PR etc…it’s enough to drive anyone bananas!

It’s been a long-time dream of mine to start a creative venture and now I am trying to combine the things I love the most into a brand. I personally started my journey by creating a mood board of all the people, places and things that inspire me. Being the visual person that I am, it was crucial for me to brainstorm and collect my thoughts. The next step will be to research the market that I decide to hone in on and then write-up a business plan.

If there’s anything I’ve learned so far, it’s to CREATE A DAILY SCHEDULE AND STICK TO IT. I have literally started marking my calendar by the hour as to keep myself in check and to be able to track the amount of time I spend on each activity throughout the day. And, as for my next piece of advice, which I am sure you’ve heard before, it’s to get up early, like 4am early. Those extra couple of hours really do make a difference. Being the late-night owl that I am, it can be hard for me to wake up at the crack of dawn, especially when my creative outbursts usually flare at night, and I often stay awake until 4am!! But I am forcing myself to try and break out of this habit.

My social life has also taken quite a hit, as I am focusing most of my energy on my musical studies and other matters that have consumed my mind lately, but I figure if I work hard now, I can relax later. On top of that, I don’t have money to be spending on outings all the time, so that’s a drawback itself. Spending lots of time alone has become the norm for me, but part of it is also the fact that many friends that I used to have connections with are just on a different path than I am, and it’s just not the same as it used to be. I feel the distance growing between myself and others that I used to consider good friends.

I think my life is truly at a crossroads, as many of those I grew up with have been blessed with marriage and starting families of their own, whereas my life has not manifested down that path, as both my career and love life are pretty up in the air, which leaves me feeling like I’m in limbo, living in a constant state of uncertainty.

To be honest, until I took my first risk of moving across the world two years ago, I had been living the same dull routine day in and day out. Now that I am back home, I constantly crave excitement, and the thought of going back to the boxed grind that I was on is almost unthinkable. I can only hope that everything happens for a reason, and I would like to think that reason is to pursue my passions.

We all have dreams and so often we push them aside for sake of comfort, but I can’t tell you how liberating it feels to work towards a vision. On the other hand, it’s also incredibly frightening, especially when you’re running on a very tight budget and constantly stressing about money. Whether I fail or not, I don’t know, but I’ve realized lately that life is pointless without purpose.